It can be a parent?s worst nightmare. An autistic child wanders away from home, and an all-out, days-long search ensues that might not reach the child in time. Howard County police hope to avoid this situation with Project Lifesaver, which uses technology to help find missing people.
“It?s a huge piece of mind for a parent if the worst-case scenario happens,” said Kim Manning, executive director of the Howard County Autism Society.
The police launched the program this week in partnership with the society, which will help find 20 families to participate. A child wears a numbered wristband, which is assigned to a specific radio frequency, police spokeswoman Sherry Llewellyn said.
When a search begins, equipment will activate a search for that frequency, and responders can search using a mobile tracking system. Clarksville resident Roger Miles started the push for the program after his then-7-year-old son, Harrison, wandered from home a few years ago. The hour he was gone he was filled with “total heart-wrenching anxiety and fear,” he said. Now, Harrison wears the bracelet on his ankle.
“It?s a huge sense of relief,” Miles said. “It?s like a guardian angel.”
Project Lifesaver is used in about 580 jurisdictions nationwide, said Katherine Healey-Flores, spokeswoman for the nonprofit Project Lifesaver International. The program launched in 1999 and has helped find more than 1,520 people, she said. With Lifesaver, searches that can take days are reduced to minutes, Llewellyn said.
“A typical search usually involves helicopters, K-9 units, grid searches by many, many officers and rescue teams ? a lot of resources,” she said.
Twelve officers and two members of the fire department received training for the program. The police department paid for the first 20 bracelets, which cost more than $200 each, Llewellyn said. As soon as more funds become available, the department plans to expand the program to include patients with dementia or Alzheimer?s, for example, she said.
“Our hope is we have laid the foundation for other populations in our community,” Manning said.
